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Topic: Ship Six (Read 18642 times)

"Thais needs help...follow the sparrow." 7 said crypticly, as if the words were the incantation of a spell, or the latin chant of liturgy. 7 could hear the rustle of wings in his mind, Thais trailing away from him in fear, her wardens missing, possibly gone rogue. Discretion.

Instead of blasting the door with the arc cannon, he jammed the I/O jack into the door controller, accessing the control systems. He held the arc cannon ready to slag anything alive on the other side of the door.

One stopped in midstep, he took a position near one of the coffins as 7 opened the door, he covered him with his carbine while listening to 3 speak. "Well if you have any bright ideas chap, now would be a good time to spill 'em."

The Plasma Carbine glowed along the maw as the solid fuel cells were burned into the gases inside chambers that would combine and spew burning bolts of inquenchable fire. He had a large caliber auto pistol of a back up.

4 looked down and took the order. He raised slightly and backed up going into the door and into where everyone else. He walked over to Shine and nodded to him."Nothing has made it down the corridor yet, sir. 7 is guarding it at this moment."He nodded to him and turned around to look at the door once more

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Evil Is A Faceless Stranger,Living In A Distant NeighborhoodEvil Has A Wholesome, Hometown FaceWith Merry Eyes And An Open SmileEvil Walks Among Us, Wearing A MaskWhich Looks Like All Our Faces

277 halted in the crawl space. Reaching up she adjusted a few wires, lowering the volume on her com-radio. She felt the urge to turn the unit off but decided against it. She continued to move slowly, coming to the vent she eased her noise sensor to it. AE her ear, if you could call it an ear. 277 waited above the corridor that lead to the others. She would be the first to spot the intruders.

"Alright. First of all, #4, #2, #7, stay where you are. 7, if anything tries to pass through that door, you'll know it. 4, stay on watch. 2, wait until I give you orders. Most likely, you'll still be going along the vent. But I'm not sure, yet."Shine pointed towards 9 and 1."You and you. Fill me in. What's going on here, and what's this about an intruder? I take it you two are plugged in." Shine mentally grumbled, wondering why the d**n techs never bothered to give him any jack-ins.

David.

"Sh-Ahg!," spat Shine. "Uh, nevermind that. What woke us up? If it was the AIs, why haven't they manifested yet? They've got holograms, don't they? And-where-are-the-****ing-lights?!" The last sentence was punctuated with palm-smacks against the metal crate. The surrounding crate-towers rang with the reverberations.

David, come back to me in one piece, okay? I don't want you to die out there.

"What?" whispered Shine, under his breath. Only #2, with her bionic ears, would be likely to hear it.

Tschamak-Aschzra-Kumchrapux came before the Sacred and Holy High Cogitators. He bowed to his knees (or his first set, for the Szchra possessed stroke legs), removed his helmet, and dipped covered two of his four eyes with his hands. He sat in this fashion for over ten minutes, as we would judge time, though for Szchra it was indeed a great length, and the pressure of being before the High Cogitators made Kumchrapux's perception quite too long.But it was a sacred pause.

Finally, one of the Cogitators spoke."Be welcome before us, our child."An attendant stepped forward, dressed all in black, with a visor of a black glass-like substance over his eyes, signifying him as one blessedly able to use his own voice before the Cogitators. He said:"This one would beg of the Sacred and Holy High Ones- shall this one speak for the visitor, or another?"

There was another sacred pause.A second Cogitator spoke."It shall please us that the visitor shall speak his own voice before us. We believe that this new destiny that is unfolding is worthy of his own speech."The attendant dipped it's head in acceptance.

There was a sacred pause.A Cogitator said:"The visitor now will speak. Let him stand before us, and be blessed by the privelige of speaking his voice before us."Tschamak stood, but averted his gaze. It is not healthy for normal mortals to look too long upon the shining light of those who have true understanding.

There was a sacred pause."This one is only a lowly swarm-leader. He is not worthy of speaking before the Sacred and Holy High Cogitators, those who possess the shining light of true understanding of the Universe. This one..." Tschamak paused, and glanced up. "This one shall relate this tale to the best of his knowledge."The swarm of this one is composed of three great commandships, four battleships and innumerable swarms of deathships and fighters. This one's many lesser ones have been trained for planetary conquest. We have struck many victories against the Hated Ones, the below-worthless, honorless, strengthless, void-minded sons of the Other Great Fleet."This one and this one's swarm had been in pursuit after a swarm of the Hated Ones, whom said ones had damaged greatly, and said ones had destroyed the heart of a hated enemy commandship. The Hated Ones had undertaken to use the Space Beyond Spaces and transferred where we could not follow. This one and this one's swarm had not been able to attach an observation-drone to the hated enemy fleet."At this time, this one recieved a message from a lesser one, the command-leader of one of the swarm's commandships, the Swift and Proud Justice, had detected the remnants of warp-wake in the Space Beyond Spaces. However, this lesser one did come to understand that it was unlike a warp-wake of the ships of the Hated Ones, and together, this one and this lesser one surmised that it would be prudent to attempt to capture the unknown vessel, for it may have been that the Hated Ones had discovered a new form of travel. This one had believed that the Sacred and Holy High Cogitators would wish this new form of travel to be brought to the hands of the Holy Great Fleet..."

There was an interruption.A Cogitator spoke."The child shall not presume to know what it is that we wish in our Infinite Understanding."

Tschamak kneeled immediately and covered two eyes. This shame and regreat could not be born- he would destroy himself, so that none would need to understand his disgrace.

There was a sacred pause.The first Cogitator said:"Let the visitor be comforted. To him we offer our absolution of disgrace, that he might tell us of all that he has witnessed."

There was another sacred pause.Tschamak rose slowly."This one's shame is absolved. There is no regret." He continued with his story."This one and this one's swarm did go after the unknown warp-wake, and said ones overtook it greatly, for this vessel was a slow one."We came upon it, and dispatched observation-drones to understand this thing. It was a strange ship, and at first said ones thought that perhaps it was only an asteroid that said ones had mistaken. But in due time, said ones discovered that it was a great irregular asteroid, of the kind sometimes found orbiting as moons, which had been converted into a crude spacecraft."The asteroid-ship was made with unadvanced, worthless, crude, and ancient technology. This ship's drive was slow and large, a great, massive, huge thing which had been constructed into a large crater. The attitude jets were similarly huge. There was little in the way of outer surface, but this one's penetrating-sights revealed that it was deeply tunneled."Deathships were sent to the surface, and this one's swarm undertook to discover a region of outer mechanisms."This one's lesser ones did undertake to open the crude airlock. Within, when closed, it was discovered by said ones that the atmosphere within the asteroid-vessel was similar to that of our Holy Great Fleet, though too heavy and warm."Within the vessel, there were many tunnels. Many fighting-groups became lost. We dispatched many fighting-groups therein, and eventually came across a wondrous sight, wherefore this one stands now before the Sacred and Holy High Cogitators."It was a great chamber, and said one's penetrating-sights revealed many more akin to it. This chamber was filled to the very walls with hemicylindrical cases embedded in much technology of crude and unrefined make. This one believes that it bore resemblance to ancient technologies of the Hated Past which the Sacred and Holy High Cogitators keep in the Museums of Former Disgrace."Within, lesser ones of the fighting groups did percieve a strange thing- these things are... difficult to describe, very indeed. They are not even like the Hated Ones, though they do seem to be like we Szchra in certain ways. They were frozen in a kind of stasis, like the archaic traveling methods. The fighting-groups did undertake to remove some from their sleep, though in the process, these specimens did die. After other undertakings, the fighting-groups and understanders therein discovered how to awaken the beings within without death, though the beings were stricken with a strange malady."They are bipedal and have two arms. However, they possess no stroke legs. Their ability to leap is most likely worthless. Their outer integument is soft and easy to remove and break. In some places, they are covered in coatings of tiny fibers which protrude from this integument. Their facial structures are very flat and they have no snouts. They have only two eyes, but they also possess a large, complicated structure between them, which we believe is the nasal organ. The organ which functions like a Szchra tympanic membrane is also complicated and protrusive. Their mouths are small and full of blunt, square teeth. The understanders believe that this suggests that they are herbivores, but these ones also noted certain characteristics that suggest omnivorous qualities. They have no tails. Each hand and foot has five digits. Their sexual organs are pronounced, especially on males."This one's lesser ones have overtaken to awaken some and dissect them to better understand their biology. These ones also have gathered a multitude and set them to work to determine their worth as slaves."That is all this one has too report. This one is very perplexed- did not the Sacred and Holy High Cogitators percieve that there were only Szchra in the Universe, of many Fleets?"

After this very long (especially for a Szchra) speech, there was observed an equally long sacred pause.Finally, a Cogitator spoke."We did percieve this, and we have not percieved wrongly. These new beings are not from this Universe; they come from another Universe where our sight cannot penetrate. It is good, we think, that the child has undertaken to awaken these sleeping beings. This destiny seems great, and its unfolding will be a great boon to our Holy Great Fleet. No Hated One shall ever possess the secret of these beings. They shall be ours alone."

Another Cogitator spoke."Go, child. Continue the work, and be blessed by great understanding."

Tschamak rose, and donned his helm, and backed out of the chamber of Sacred and Holy High Cogitators.

"Working on it, there is alot of strange coding that's been implemented into the ship's programming. The A.I. are gone I can't find any trace, their just gone. No traces of deletion but looks like they've retreated deep within the coding, their hiding from something. What the devil is this?"

There was long pause, "I've got some video footage from a camera in the cryo holds.. Oh god d**n't!" One jerked the jack out and removed his helmet. "Those sons of &^%$@es. He jacked the jack back into his helmet and played it on the wal, the camera footage played reveiling horrid alien soldiers trying to reanimate the humans in cryo stasis rather cruely. "Lock and load." he muttered.

Number 4 watched the video and sneered as it played itself out. He touched his rifle quietly and went to do his orders, he went outside and into the corridor where he knelt and waited to see if any of the enemy came their way. He wanted to get back at those horrid aliens in any way he could, and the first thing he was going to do was smash their heads and cut them to pieces with his precious rifle.

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Evil Is A Faceless Stranger,Living In A Distant NeighborhoodEvil Has A Wholesome, Hometown FaceWith Merry Eyes And An Open SmileEvil Walks Among Us, Wearing A MaskWhich Looks Like All Our Faces

4 looked down the hall and shook his head as he came into the crate room. d**n those aliens! He had seen video-vids of fictional stories of aliens, but this isn't what he thought it would be, nor would he ever had thought that he would see one. People wouldn't be able to comprehend what an alien looked like for several reasons, one, alien lifeform affected by diffrent climate, differnt stages of evolution(if there was any), differnce in gravity, difference in planet. But when he saw these, it rocked his senses.

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Evil Is A Faceless Stranger,Living In A Distant NeighborhoodEvil Has A Wholesome, Hometown FaceWith Merry Eyes And An Open SmileEvil Walks Among Us, Wearing A MaskWhich Looks Like All Our Faces

There was a sudden photostrobic flash, which blitzed the area with light for several seconds, and making the photosensitive visors of the battleroids blacken in reaction, protecting what was left of human eyes.

"Well. There were some lights," he said, and then, as a loud, shrill chirp rang down from above, "What the hell is it now?!"

With a flicker of holographic light, clearly traced in a beam from a far-away projector, came down a yellow sparrow, which landed on the armored shoulder of Soldier Number 7, chirping sunnily. It seemed the projector had trouble with size; for a moment, it was as large as an eagle, and then nearly invisible, and then returned to normal size.

"I'm getting d**n tired of this. Number 7, can you explain that?" said Shine irritably, gesturing towards the sparrow. His arm swept through the edge of the holo-beam, blotting out a small portion of the bird for a few seconds.

XX-012 activated. His cryopod opened with a hiss. He couldn't see, and he panicked. He hit the ground as he stumbled forward. He was suffering from confusion brought on by the hibernation. He remembered there being others. Maybe they could help him. "Hello? Anyone? Hello?" He was crawling. Even if they did answer, he probably would be unable to realise they had.

One stood aghast at the images of the aliens, he moved a little slowly, "God their ugly brutes." He pulled the jack from the his helemt and place it back on head. "Primary objective: protection of the colonists. primary objective: protection of the ship. Primary objective successful colonization of an Earth like planet. All three are threatened, our goals seem to be laid out rather well."

He looked at the hologram, "I think that might be one of the of holograms, but first we need to resecure the primary cyro chamber from the aliens, you agree three?"

Shade whirled around to see what it was and pointed his rifle at the sparrow, he kept it like that for a moment before lowering it and titlting his head. Follow the sparrow? He shrugged. Oh well, it would give him something to do

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Evil Is A Faceless Stranger,Living In A Distant NeighborhoodEvil Has A Wholesome, Hometown FaceWith Merry Eyes And An Open SmileEvil Walks Among Us, Wearing A MaskWhich Looks Like All Our Faces

Shadow sighed and shook his head. He started following the sparrow as well, and he switched his rifle to saftey. No point yet in keeping it off. He wondered why the hologram would suddenly come on. It might be a trap. He shrugged as his objectives ran through his mind. If it was, he would accept that situation and continue to try to fulfill his objectives

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Evil Is A Faceless Stranger,Living In A Distant NeighborhoodEvil Has A Wholesome, Hometown FaceWith Merry Eyes And An Open SmileEvil Walks Among Us, Wearing A MaskWhich Looks Like All Our Faces

Nine, of course, remained silent during all of this. He simply offered an impassive stare towards XX and Shine as the latter helped XX to stand, then altered his gaze towards 7 as he spoke and moved.Finally, Nine pushed himself off the box he was against and began walking steadily in the direction of the sparrows flight. Beneath his mask, his face cringed and his head jerked as an unexplained bolt of pain abruptly seared in his lower jaw area, but that pain quickly receded to nothingness, and was forgotten as the battleroid continued walking.

He managed to start walking himself, the confusion dissipating. He reached up, to clear his mask, so he could see where he was going. Soon he was strong enough to walk on his own again, and looked around quickly for weapons. He thought they might be handy, afterall, they had just been awoken, and everything was not right. It had been an emergency waking, otherwise he would be thinking clearer.

Soldier two was annoyed. Apparently they were taking directions on following a holograph bird. Continued to crawl, taking the west duct. She had the sudden urge to back track and get the drop on Shine. The urge to put her arm through his head. Maybe later. Continuing through the ducts.

Shade found it quiet, but he didn't expect it to be loud, but he didn't like the silence, most unlike the other battleroids. He stopped and looked around before starting to go again as he put his visor on infered once more.

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Evil Is A Faceless Stranger,Living In A Distant NeighborhoodEvil Has A Wholesome, Hometown FaceWith Merry Eyes And An Open SmileEvil Walks Among Us, Wearing A MaskWhich Looks Like All Our Faces

"Ok, br.....fearless leader. Left or right?" 277 waited for a response.Still annoyed that the others were following a bird. Maybe it was one of the AIs trying to get their attention. Who knows. It seemed a bit foolish to her that they all had to follow it.

Ahead, a large board of computer holoscreens were glowing up, slowly glimmering into existence in midair.

Shine approached them slowly, even suspiciously."Alright... Holographic bird, holoscreens. I can buy that... But who switched 'em on?"The bird landed with a fluffing of feathers on the edge of the holoscreen. The blending of holo-patterns mutated the colors.

There was a screech, and a bolt of movement, and Shine crashed backwards in response to the sudden blast of holographic feathers which burst from the holoscreens.

When the fray ended, there was a holographic hawk, perching regally upon the railing of the walkway. In it's beak was a little feather.

Shade stopped behind Fearless Leader and looked at the hologram raising his rifle slightly. Who had turned on the lights? He had picked up no human activity since he had been looking he tapped his chin and sighed shaking his head. He looked up at the air duct and thought of something, then he looked back down at Soldier 3."Sir, may I request that make a little search around our proximity."

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Evil Is A Faceless Stranger,Living In A Distant NeighborhoodEvil Has A Wholesome, Hometown FaceWith Merry Eyes And An Open SmileEvil Walks Among Us, Wearing A MaskWhich Looks Like All Our Faces